A House of Minimalist Charm

The age of modern architecture certainly has its foundation in the ever-popular maxim that less is
more. Although it is a phrase now exploited to tedium, it remains a
cornerstone of universally recognised good architecture, and the reign of
simplicity is far from over.

A pioneer of the minimalist movement, Mies van der Rohe, is
the architect renowned for starting the less
is more revolution, and his excellent track record with astonishing buildings
strengthened this approach. He, and many other influential architects of the
time, believed in extreme clarity and simplicity of architectural projects, in
order to emphasise the implied freedom assured by free-flowing spaces. Another
of his popular quotes are: “I don’t want
to be interesting. I want to be good.” This is exactly what minimalist
design entails – the sacrifice of ornamentation and attention-grabbing elements
for a high-quality whole.

Today we will take a look at a contemporary house which
fully embraces the principles of minimalism with excellent results. This family
home in South Korea has simplicity as its underlying principle, but manages to
be warm and inviting. Let’s see how this is achieved.

Sunny embrace

The exterior of the home is built up of neat and solid materials to adhere to the minimalist style. The structure has many large
windows to filter sunlight throughout and allow all of the rooms to be
continually warm.

The house has a gable roof, made out of zinc, and embossed vertically
along the downward slope of the roof on both sides. The dark charcoal colour of
the roof is echoed in the façade of the home to create continuity and an edgy
look.

The house takes up a total area of 120.02 square meters,
including a porch and a deck. The rest of the property contains several stone
elements for a rough and natural look, with the addition of local as well as
planned vegetation.

Increased space

Yunsung Housing are the architect behind this project, and they are based in Ansan, South Korea. The company emphasises that the most
important design point with this house was to increase the utilisation of space
inside the home.

As we can see here in the living room, it is spacious enough
for multiple relaxation and entertainment purposes. A large sliding door lets
in ample natural light, and allows for the opening up of the room to the porch
for extension. At the back we can see a ladder leading to the attic space on
the top floor.

The flooring in the house is completed in a series of dark
red wood laminate, giving the spaces a warm and homely atmosphere. At the back
of the living room we can see an application of tile in a pattern that looks
like elegant natural stone. This simple addition immediately brings a sense of sophistication
to the area.

The kitchen

The kitchen of the house takes up part of an open-plan area, next to a dais on which the dining room will certainly be situated. The clients
for the project hand-picked the kitchen fixtures themselves. The cabinetry is
in a cool and calm heather-grey colour, complimented by wooden counter tops. The
light scheme includes an industrial-inspired pendant fixture above the task
area, which compliments the home’s modern look.

The walls here, as in the majority of the interior spaces,
are a bright white. This has the primary advantage of making the spaces feel
larger by increasing perceived depth. It also creates a clean atmosphere. In
contrast to the brilliance of the white, however, the frames of window and
doors are in a dark wood. This continues the dark wood skirting that borders
the walls where it meets the floor as well.

Some vibrant features

Minimalism does not necessarily mean that there is no space for more vibrant decoration and furnishings. Here we have a view of the
open-plan living area – to the left of the image we see the living room and
beyond it the kitchen, to the right we can see a family bathroom.

A little alcove between these areas hosts a small cabinet
and basin. This is a handwashing station both for the bathroom, as well as for
general household purposes. This small space is quite different from the other
more neutral areas, as it has colourful tiles adorning the lower part of the
walls in this space. This brings a lively look to the house, but its limitation
to only this alcove ensures that it is not overwhelming. Keeping things simple
once again.

Extraordinary materials

Now for a real treat. The house makes use of a rather unusual material for the exterior surfaces, but it is certainly an option that
has received some attention and may hold many benefits. The architects made use
of ceramic siding for the exterior finish. That’s right, you we did not make a
typo, and you didn’t read it wrong. Ceramic tiles for the exterior walls!

With the advent of modern construction equipment and
manufacturing processes, we now have that old familiar friend the porcelain
ceramic tile, available to us for far more applications than just the bathroom walls.
Manufacturers can now produce larger and thicker tiles in a variety of textures
and patterns for outdoor use, which do not absorb water and so become resistant
to cracking in fluctuating temperatures. What’s more, with the proper
treatments and grouting, the siding will likely need no further maintenance
after installation!

The product used on this home has a gentle relief and the
division lines between tiles are almost invisible. This creates a beautiful,
seamless appearance with a texture that needs to be appreciated from up close. This
brings us full circle to the greatness of minimalism: simple yet extraordinary.

Take a look here at a home inspired by another giant of modern architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright.